In known methods of printing, a reaction liquid for treating the print substrate or the printed matter may be used in order to enhance the print quality, e.g. by preventing excessive spreading of the ink compositions that may cause all kinds of print artifacts like (inter color) bleeding, coalescence, etc. Such methods are particularly useful to be used for printing on less to non-absorbing print substrates (print media), like machine coated paper or off-set coated paper.
In European Patent Application EP 1 125 760 A1 a recording method wherein a reaction solution and an ink composition are deposited onto a recording medium to perform printing and the recording medium is then washed with a polar solvent is disclosed.
It is a disadvantage of such methods that the color gamut may decrease with respect to methods of printing wherein no reaction liquid is used, while in the absence of using the reaction liquid the print quality, in particular on machine coated print substrates, is unsatisfactory.
Selecting an order of printing ink compositions for improving the print quality is known from the prior art, for example from U.S. Pat. No. 7,988,277. Such methods are for example based on the order of dynamic surface tension and are intended to e.g. prevent or mask (inter) color bleeding.
In International Patent Application WO 2013/065871 A1 it is disclosed that a recorded matter recorded on a recording medium includes a first layer formed by an ink A on or above the recording medium, the first layer having an index of refraction A; a second layer formed by an ink B on the first layer formed by the ink A, the second layer having an index of refraction B (where B<A); and a third layer formed by an ink C or by a transparent resin material on the second layer, the third layer having an index of refraction C (where C>A) and forming a surface layer of the recorded matter.
It is a disadvantage of such methods that although the print quality may improve, the color gamut is not optimal or even deteriorates.
Therefore, improving the print quality, in particular on machine coated media, and maintaining or even improving the color gamut, seem to be contradictory requirements.